Improvement in printing-instruments for the bund



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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. EIA?v BEACH, or s'rRATFoRD, CONNECTICUT.

|MPRovEMENT IN PRlNTlNc-INSTRUMENTS:FOR THE BLiND.'

Specification forming part of Letters'lPatent No. 15,1611, dated June 24, 1,856.

.To all whom it may` concern.-

Beit known that I, A. ELY BEACH, of Stratford, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented anew andfuselul Imi pr'ovement in Printing-Instruments for ,the Blind; and I do herebydeclare that lthe following is a full and exact. description thereof,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a top View 'or-plan of 'my improvement. Fig. 2 is a side sectional eleva' -tion of the same; Fig. 3, an enlarged -section of clock-work escapement; Fig. 4, a diagramfor reference.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.-

My invention consists in the arrangement of a-series of types placed upon keys or their 'equivalents in such a manner that the types may be made to strike, at a common center andz leave an impression upon a strip of paper,

which is drawn along between or beneath them for that purpose.

To enable others skilled in the art tol make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation minutel y.

A A are the type-keys pivoted, respectlively,vupon the standards B B. The inner ends of 'the keys a a are furnished with types, respectively male and female, or raised and intaglio, so that when the two types of each pairo f keyscome together a raised letter will be produced upon the paper.

v In Figs. l, 2, and 3 the paper is indicated by -blue lines. y

The short ends ofA are fashioned into caps b, which rest upon A. The ,spiral springs C,

serve to keep A in Contact with-A.- When the outer end of A is depressed,the inner ends,

a a', of both keys will meet and produce a raised impression upon the paper. Springs C also serve to keep the inner ends of the keys open and to restoretheni to the open position after they hav-e been depressed. The keys A A are all so arranged that their inner ends, a a', will invariably strike a common center and leavea raised impression or'letterk upon the paper at each stroke,fthus enabling thef operator to form wordspby merely pressing the proper type-keys.

The necessary space between the letters is obtained by moving the paper along for 'a short distance after each letter is printed. This is 'done-by means of an ordinary clock-work, the shaft of one of whose wheels, D, is furnished vwith a roller, DT, on which another roller,'E, is made to press by the spring E. The paper passes between the rollers D E, so that whenv D is turned,the paper is drawn along in direction of the arrow.

Attached to the pinion-shaft F of the clockwork lis a crank, F', which Comes in contact with the esoapement G and prevents the clockwork from moving, except as hereinafter de-- scribed.

The escapement G is. shaped likel a bellcrank, and pivoted at d. One end of G'is forked, and when this forked end is pressed *pressed down.

. All of the keys A are connected with the lower end of escapement G by means of cord Land whenever any oneof the keys is pressed the forked vend of escapement G will be also depressed. The clock-work will then be libyerated and the paper fed along as. before described. All the keys arethus properl'yconnected with 4the escapernent by avcommon connection, which is'far simpler than if aseparate connection for each key were employed. .Gord I passes through grooves on the tops of the keys A, and also Athrough perforated guides J, which conduct the cord I in the suitable direction.

The paper is supported on reel K, and on its route to the types the paperpasses under a spring, Lwhicl1 presses itupon a'small table, M, supported on standard N. Spring L serves to maintain a proper tension on the paper, preventing it frolncurling, Ste.

When itv is desired to print black or commonl'etters, instead of raised,the types upon A `are made to strike upon asta'ndard, 0,'(see diagram, Fig.,4,) the paper and also an endless belt, P, being interposed. Theouter surface of belt P is smeared with alamp-black coin.- vposition, which serves as a species of ink, so that when a type descends it presses the belt P upon the paper, and a distinct impression of the letter is left. Q Q are rollers,over which the belt I? moves. One of these rollers is intended to be geared in any suitable manner to the clockwork, and the belt is thus slowly moved, so that the same type will never strike twice in the same spot upon it. When the belt l? is used, the levers A will need to be short, as shown in the diagram, Fig. 4.

My improvement is particularly useful for the blind, as it will enable them to print raised letters, which, by the sense of touch, they can read as fast as produced.

2. Connecting each of the type-keys or their equivalents withthe escapement by means of a common connection, substantially as described.

A. ELY BEACH.

Witnesses:

M. S.l BREWsTER, J. MALLERDUR. 

